458 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ June 16, 1892. 
possible, and trained to a string up the roof of the house. The 
stronger the first season’s growth the greater, if well ripened, will 
be the progress of the plant afterwards. After these plants have 
finished lengthening out their growth cooler, drier, and more airy 
conditions should be maintained to ripen and harden the wood. 
During the ripening process the temperature may fall at night to 
60’, in fact this is a safe temperature in which to keep them during 
the season of inactivity. 
The second season it must be decided whether the plants are to 
be eventually trained on balloon shaped trellises, which are the best 
if required for exhibition purposes, or not. Young plants can be 
trained on suitable sized trellises, so as to induce them to break as 
evenly and freely as possible. The shoots that issue from the 
ripened wood should be trained to strings secured to the trellis and 
the roof until they show flower, when they can be taken down and 
the shoots trained evenly on the trellis. If needed for home 
decoration the ripened wood of the first year may be laid hori¬ 
zontally near the eave of the house and the growing shoots trained 
upright. This is the best way of growing them, because the wood 
is certain to ripen thoroughly, and a good supply of flowers result. 
When needed for home purposes only we prefer to plant them 
out in a small border well drained ; the latter point is important, 
whether grown in pots or planted out. The soil should consist of 
rich fibry loam and good peat in equal proportions with a liberal 
addition of coarse silver sand ; a little charcoal may also with 
advantage be used. Care is needed not to overpot the plants in 
their early stages of growth ; small shifts are desirable. Dipla- 
denias are very liable to be attacked by mealy bug, and they must 
be kept free from this pest if they are to continue in health and 
vigour. If it exists in the house the plants must be frequently 
looked over and cleaned, never allowing the bug to become 
established upon them.—W. B. 
[The engraving (fig. 78) represents the new Dipladenia exhi¬ 
bited by Messrs. F. Sander & Co. at the Royal Horticultural 
Society’s meeting on Juno 7th. It is remarkably distinct in 
colour, being rich dark purplish maroon with an orange glow in 
the tube. The foliage is small. Judging from the specimen 
exhibited it is a free bloomer. A first-class certificate was 
awarded.] 
RUXLEY LODGE, ESHER. 
This interesting place, one of the residences of Lord Foley, is now 
and has for several years been under the management of Mr. J. Miller, 
who was formerly at Clumber, and other good places, and has there¬ 
fore a high reputation as a gardener. The pleasure grounds at Ruxley 
Lodge are not very extensive; the house, indeed, is not large, but it 
stands on a high elevation, reached after a stiff climb up a long carriage 
road, which winds from the village of Claygate, that lies to the east of 
Esher. The carriage way is densely overhung with lofty trees, and 
forms a very delightful approach to the place. When I called at Ruxley 
Lodge recently I noticed that although the Daffodil flowers were pretty 
well over large quantities had been planted—not in single dots, but in 
strong natural clumps on the grassy slopes which border the carriage 
road near the house. It is most fortunate that rabbits do not like 
Daffodils, hence we can with entire safety plant these bulbs anywhere. 
The soil on the hill on which the house stands is very sandy, but 
the Daffodils thrive in it luxuriantly. The kitchen and fruit gardens, 
with the glass houses, lie somewhat lower, the soil, too, being in the 
hollow rather stiffei. Trees do well, whether they be standards in 
orchards, pyramids and bushes in the gardens, or trained trees on walls. 
There are many glass houses devoted to plants and fruits, and in 
every direction fully utilised ; thus in a large span house the side stages 
are occupied by plants of diverse kinds, and the centre with Strawberry 
plants in pots, standing on a span stage in one direction. Tomato 
plants, then some 2 feet in height, have been planted out in the soil bed 
on which the stages stand, and on either side, and as soon as the stages 
are done with these are removed, stout rods fixed into the soil on either 
side, and bent over at the top to form an archway or bower, over 
which the Tomato plants are trained, and where they fruit profusely all 
the summer. In the second compartment the Strawberry plants were 
still fruiting, but would soon be replaced by Tomatoes, This method 
of cultivation answers admirably. In the late autumn the space thus 
covered is occupied by Chrysanthemums, until again needed for Straw¬ 
berries, Of Tomatoes the favourite sorts are Hack wood Park, Ham Green 
Favourite, and Excelsior. Of Strawberries Noble, President, Sir Joseph 
Paxton, British Queen, La Grosse Sucr^e, and, very unusual indeed, the 
white Bicton Pine are grown. This latter variety is specially appreciated 
for its fine flavour. Melons are well done here, and as for Mushrooms they 
seem to be found in all directions, both indoors and out. There are about 
the place numerous stables, sheds, or outhouses not otherwise occupied, 
and these are laid under contribution to furnish large beds. There are 
outdoors some of the ridge-shaped beds, and there are other beds in 
ordinarily constructed Mushroom houses. The demand is great, and the 
supply seems to be not less so, Mr. Miller maintains a supply of spawn 
by keeping a quantity of horse droppings regularly impregnated, 
holding that this method is the most satisfactory. 
Peaches and Nectarines are very abundant under glass. Apart from 
the extensive gardens and glass houses close home there is across the 
park a large old-fashioned garden, presumably at one time connected 
with a monastery, where there are several long lean-to houses devoted to 
these fruits, all carrying very heavy crops of the most popular varieties. 
Grapes of all the ordinary sorts are also remarkably well done, and in 
great quantity. Plants of various forms fill several houses, and there is 
a small but interesting collection of Orchids also. The whole of the 
various groups of glass houses are heated by a couple of what are termed 
“ Ruxley Lodge ” boilers. These are of the character of the well-known 
Trentham boilers, but still somewhat differently constructed, are each 
10 feet long, and 3 feet wide, with an improved arrangement to 
prevent all blocking-up behind the bridge, as all coke that falls over the 
bridge drops clear of the boiler into an underground flue quite 
independent of the smoke flues. One of these boilers has been hard at 
work for five years, the other a shorter period. They seem to be both 
capital boilers, and easily worked. One boiler does all ordinary work, 
heating upwards of 3500 of 4-inch piping, whilst during the severest 
weather the fires could be banked up so early as nine to ten in the 
evening with the greatest confidence, and they would be affording 
ample heat when work commenced next morning. 
Vegetables are well grown, and when I looked through the gardens 
Sander’s Late White Broccoli, heeled in, was a capital crop, so also were 
Little Pixie Cabbages and Winter Spinach, Peas were coming on in 
abundance. Amongst special objects of interest in the pleasure grounds 
is a remarkably tall, spiral, and handsome Wellingtonia, which has the 
most perfect columnar form of perhaps any such tree in the kingdom. 
It is 65 feet high. Beside it is a grand specimen Horse Chestnut, 
feathering to the ground over 70 feet in diameter. Box of the old 
Dutch clipped form is much liked here, and there is a series of beds 
edged with Box, the edging made to assume a turret form at the 
corners, which is very novel in appearance, and is very pretty when the 
beds are filled with various coloured bedding plants.—A. D. 
EUPHORBIA JACQUINIiEFLORA. 
This is one of the most beautiful and useful winter-flowering plants 
we have, its bright scarlet racemes presenting a good contrast in the 
winter and spring to the foliage cf other plants and Ferns. It is useful 
for cutting purposes as well as for effect. A few long racemes of 
bloom mixed with Asparagus plumosus or Ferns in a vase have a telling 
effect. This plant should be grown in quantity, as it is most useful for 
table decoration, and easily grown after the cuttings are struck. By 
inserting cuttings now and in batches up to July, taken off the old 
plants with a heel, a good succession can be had. I have found the 
cuttings strike best if inserted in a mixture of silver sand and peat in 
pots, plunging the latter in eoeoa-nut fibre in a propagating frame with 
a bottom heat of 80°, where the cuttings, if not kept too damp, readily 
take root. I have found it a good plan to always leave a little air on 
the frame to keep the atmosphere fresh. I have also struek cuttings 
inserted in tins 3 inches deep, filled wholly with silver sand, every 
cutting inserted having rooted; but the plants struck by this system 
require more care when potted. It is best to try different ways, as 
sometimes one suceeeds and not the other. 
After the cuttings have struck and commenced to grow they should 
be pinched, and afterwards placed in 4-inch pots, either singly or three 
plants in a pot, in a mixture of peat, loam, and silver sand, with a little 
charcoal added to keep the soil sweet. When required for large plants 
they should be potted into 5 and 6-inch, in the same mixture as before, 
and be grown in a temperature of 60° to 60°. Three plants in 6- inch 
pots, pinched twice during the season, make beautiful objects for the 
dinner table, as well as for vases. The old plants can either be shaken 
out of the soil and repotted, or, better still, be planted out at the back of 
a house, or in the front, and the growths trained thinly to wires on the 
roof. I have also used the old plants to hide the pipes under a plant 
stage, planting at intervals in front of the pipes, and training the 
growths to galvanised wire mesh, held in an upright position by iron 
rods, and fastened by copper wire to the stage. Euphorbias and 
Begonia Knowsleyana planted together, and thus trained, produce a 
good effeet during the winter months, as well as hiding the pipes from 
view. Ferns should also be planted for cutting from.— John Chinnery. 
JOTTINGS ABOUT STONELEIGH ABBEY. 
After being caught in a downpour of chilling rain one is not 
generally in the right mood to thoroughly enjoy the beauties which 
surround the “ stately homes of England,” or to take more than a 
cursory glance at the various departments of such extensive gardens as 
those at Stoneleigh, which are so well managed by Mr. T. Beddard. In 
consequence, therefore, of the unfavourable weather which prevailed at 
the ume of my visit I will be eontent for the present with penning a 
few lines about the splendid condition of the fruit trees there, which I 
saw a short time ago. 
In one of the houses in whieh the fruit had arrived at the stoning 
stage Peaches and Neetarines were carrying a grand crop of fruits, 
which were distributed with wonderful regularity over the whole 
surface of the trees. All the fruit trees, both in the houses and on 
walls in the open air, were fine specimens of careful and accurate 
training. They were also in the majority of instances giving fine 
promise for an abundant crop. Peaches, Nectarines, and Apricots in 
the open air being covered with a triple thickness of fish netting have 
apparently escaped the late severe frosts without injury. 
